'ALLOTMENT HEAVEN' An Allotment blog - a journey in allotmenteering which began in February 2008.

Monday, 18 July 2011

Southampton Indian 'Mela' festival

We went to the Mela on Saturday and had a great time. It was colourful, loud, the food smelt and tasted delicious and the Indian Bollywood music playing on the main stage was great. There was lot's of handsome young Indian men showing off with their dancing and generally having fun.

The nicest part about the Mela is that it is always a big melting pot of cultures and peoples, all enjoying the festival. Having missed the festival last year we noticed that it had changed and not for the better either. There were lot's of fairground rides, shooting galleries, ghost train, and other tacky things that made it seem more like a British fairground rather than the traditional Indian festival that it has been in the past. Also missing was the more traditional Indian musicians. However it was still a pleasant experience and plenty of portaloos this time which was an improvement. I hope they get comments about the lack of tradition and get it back for next year. We had Lamb Biriyani for lunch which was superb.

I hope you enjoy these photo's.

The Main Stage

Fabulous colourful clothes

Colourful headscarves

Henna Tattooist

Traditional Indian fabric detail

Traditional Dancers and band

Colourful festival goers

A music workshop

These are photo's from a previous year just to show the traditional musicians that were lacking this year.

4 comments:

It's hard to recreate an Indian festival on a gloomy English afternoon! Looks like you had a fun day out and let's hope that the more traditional flavour is restored next year. (Have you written to the organisers?)

Hi CARO, the weather was actually very good. It rained all morning and then amazingly cleared up for the afternoon. I haven't contacted the organisers, but there is a website for the Mela where I guess comments can be left. I also guess that to make it worth it's while the local council have to make money by renting space to anyone who is willing to pay the fees.

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I started this blog in November 2008. I didn't know where it would go or even if I would keep at it. But here I am now into April 2014 and still blogging and enjoying it. I still remember the excitement when I got my first comment, and now I even have followers, amazing !! I also follow and read a lot of brillient blogs and have made some lovely friends in the blogging world.

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Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,Enwrought with the golden and silver lightThe blue and the dim and the dark clothsOf night and light and the half-light,I would spread the cloths under your feetBut I, being poor, have only my dreams;I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams...